Challenges and Opportunities in Post
Disaster Interventions: the Role of
Academic Institutions in Disaster
Management
Bahadar Nawab, PhD, Associate Professor
COMSATS University Abbottabad, Pakistan
Scope of Presentation
• Discuss the strength and weakness of different
stakeholders in post disaster situation
• Explore opportunities where the academia and
research institutes can contribute to overcome
some of those weaknesses and possibly
introduce a new approach to relief,
rehabilitation and reconstruction interventions
Introduction
• Due to its geophysical and geopolitical situation,
Pakistan is prone to frequent natural and man-made
disasters and crises that continuously engage the
government, humanitarian and relief agencies
• The five major disasters (2005 earthquake, 2008 Swat
IDPs and 2010, 11, 12 Flood) in the recent years of 21st
century caught the attention of national and international
community
• Along with so many positive aspects, these disasters also
exposed many institutional, managerial, financial,
technical issues and research loopholes in the
emergencies, relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction
efforts of government, donors, I(NGOs) and politicians
Introduction
• Response to disaster are often inadequate as
complex situations demand the need for
coordinated and complex responses
• Therefore, humanitarian assistance after
disaster has become a topic of academic,
practical, and political concern
Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction
Approaches
• From the 1960s onward, humanitarian action
was based on a linear model… focusing on
relief assistance, and when the disaster/conflict
was over, development assistance would then
be provided
• In the 1980s, the continuum model of relief and
development was formulated, bringing about
the concept of rehabilitation, which bridges the
gap between relief and development activities
Relief, Rehabilitation and Local Participation
• The question is, how to effectively carry out relief
and rehabilitation?
• Different approaches are being used, however studies
such (De Zeeuw 2001; Anderson 1999; Nyheim,
Leonhardt, and Gaigals 2001; Quinn 2002) take note
of local capacities
• Their focus has remained “deductive” and allowed
international organizations to determine opportunities
for intervention by the recipient state and civil-society
organizations in relief and rehabilitation, instead of
the other way around
Disasters in Pakistan
and CIIT Abbottabad
2005 earthquake
Swat IDP’s
2010-11-12 Flood
COMSATS Abbottabad and Flood 2010
Quick response
Constitute Relief & Rehabilitation
Committee
Fund raising from Faculty and Students
Relief Camps at the Affected Areas
CIIT Initiatives
Adopt a family
• Rs. 8000 monthly support for 10 months
• self, local, and foreign donors
Adopt a student
• Approx. 1000 students from affected areas
• Self, local, and foreign donors for 1 years
Adopt a village
• Water, health, sanitation, education, renewable energy
• Use same villages as research centers
Evaluation of Several Mega Project
• Evaluation Action Against Hunger (ACF) project of
humanitarian support to conflict and flood affected
population of KPK, Pakistan
• Evaluation of USAID project in flood affected areas
of Punjab and KPK on agriculture inputs and Cash
for Work
• WATSAN component in the Mission of the Embassy
of Kingdom of Netherlands for Endline Evaluation of
Partnership for Development of Allai
• Evaluation of FAO intervention carried out under the
Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in NWFP
and Baluchistan provinces, Pakistan
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• Research shows that the interventions in the disaster
struck areas were not cost effective
• Most of the donors money disappeared as an
administrative cost and the affected and needy people
got very little
• Most of the interventions were without proper need
assessment and not target oriented
• The assistance provided was not according to the
needs, expectation and requirement of the affected
population
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• The donors and the implementing partners could not
design and implement the beneficiaries selection
criteria, therefore, the powerful and resourceful
people get the maximum share and the poor people
are further marginalized
• The quality of the intervention is usually poorly
selected and in most cases not relevant to the
environment and culture of the affected population
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• Most of the interventions are not based on any
research and scientific survey
• The academia and research centers are in most
cases not consulted and involved in relief and
rehabilitation stage after disaster
• The rehabilitation phase is usually started
without proper identification and
understanding of gaps
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• More than 50% water supply schemes, latrines and
other WASH related interventions implemented
during the relief and rehabilitation phase in the
earthquake affected are no more working
• The water quality of more than 60% WSS in the
earthquake affected areas are microbiologically and
chemically contaminated
• There is was very low short-term benefit of
agriculture sector intervention in the earthquake
affected areas
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• To overcome those shortcoming and fill the gaps
research-based interventions are needed in disaster
affected areas where the interventions are made after
proper investigation and understanding the effected
people needs, expectation and cultural acceptability
• The focus of the interventions should be for example
on low-cost, sanitation, low-cost water supply and
treatment systems and hygiene promotion
• The flood affected areas should be used as a research
centre where students and faculty should
continuously monitor the acceptance and performance
of the interventions
Lesson Learned from Post Disaster
Intervention of CIIT
• It is extremely important at the design stage, to have
mechanism to assess the key risks and challenges and,
mitigate these risks and challenges during design and
implementation.
• Women need to be actively engaged in the project
activities, through innovative approach in view of culture
and traditions. It is extremely vital to increase their
participation in the project activities.
• The project design should have been flexible to adjust
with evolving challenges not foreseen at the inception
stage